Sometimes only words will do. Graphical user interfaces (GUIs) were a great advance, creating an easy route into computer use for many non-technical users. For complex tasks, though, the interface can become a limitation: blocking off choices, and leaving a circuitous route even for only moderately complicated jobs.

(Re-)Enter the command line: the blinking cursor that many thought had faded away in the 1990s. For getting instructions from user to computer — in a clear, quick, and unambiguous form — the command line is often the best way. It never disappeared on UNIX systems, and now, thanks to Raspberry Pi OS on the Raspberry Pi, a new generation is discovering the power of the command line to simplify complex tasks, or instantly carry out simple ones.

Master essential skills:

• Read and write text files
• Find & install software
• Manage removable storage
• Use Secure Shell for remote access
• Create Raspberry Pi SD cards
• Going online in the command line
• and much, much more.

If you're not comfortable when faced with the $ prompt, then don't panic! In this fully updated book, we'll quickly make you feel at home, and able to find your way around the terminal on the Pi, or any other GNU/Linux computer: getting things done, and unlocking the power of the command line.

Updated for the latest Raspberry Pi devices and hardware, this book has everything you need to get started.